If you think you don’t like sweet wines, it’s possible you haven’t tried a true dessert variety. Just taste this one before you write them off. There’s a beautiful smell of citrus fruits and barley sugar, but it’s not cloyingly sweet, and its sexy, marmalade flavours are a perfect match for this spicy ginger cake.

Method1. Drop the dates into a bowl and pour over 200ml of boiling water. Leave to soak for a minimum of 1 hour.2. Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Take a 23cm square baking tin and grease and line it with non-stick baking parchment. Pour the dates and their soaking liquor into the bowl of a food processor, and add the stem ginger, 4 tbsp of the syrup and the black treacle. Blitz until smooth. Leave to one side.3. Beat the softened butter and sugar together in a bowl, either by hand or with an electric hand whisk. When well blended whisk in the eggs one at a time (don’t worry if it curdles, it will sort itself out later). Pour in the date mixture and again whisk to incorporate.4. Add the flour, ground ginger, mixed spice and bicarbonate of soda to the mixture, and using a wooden spoon bring all the ingredients together to form a smooth mix. Pour this into the prepared tin. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes, by which time a skewer inserted into the cake should come out clean.5. Remove the cake from the tin, and place on a rack to cool. While it is still warm spoon over the remaining 3 tbsp of ginger syrup and scatter over the chopped crystallised ginger (if using). Leave the cake to cool before serving.